Growing pains in the next generation

Supposedly there is a Rihanna, Drake and Leonardo love triangle happening. One wonders how this will all play out.

Leo is known to be quite a ladies man, despite his charity work and tireless advocacy for the environment.. he just loves the beautiful ladies....but he is usually known for going from one underwear model to the next.. and he is looking pretty scruffy lately. kind of channeling Jack Nicholson here...He just doesn't care.. and that could also be alluring you see...

Drake seems the more attentive, romantic, and gentlemanly type... relationship material shall we say?... and he always looks neat, dapper and pulled together.

However, to be purely superficial...if Rihanna is going for the guy with the pure star power, of course she will choose the bigger star, Leonardo.
Let's compare the facts:
Drake is the former star of Canadian TV show, Degrassi the next generation. ... ehhhhhhhhhhhhhh.... not such a big deal...

Leonardo, to the contrary, is the former breakout star of mega hit Growing Pains.. no more needs to be said.

Golden Globes and moments that stand out:

-George Clooney’s utterly unreserved, ostensibly un-British, extraneous-yet-complimentary, Clooney-gone-gaga-head-over-heels tribute to his wife whilst accepting his Cecile B. DeMille award. No one has ever publically seen this side of George before. One cannot help but ponder the trail of broken hearts that led him to this happy place in his 53 years. What was Stacey Keibler up to at this moment he gave his speech? She is much much too busy as a working mother caring for Ava Grace with her millionaire (sorry not a billionaire) husband Jared Pobre, to even notice! Stacey’s Baby Bullit food processor was on so loud pureeing Ava’s organic Kale and rutabaga that it never registered. She has moved on in a BIG way.

What about forlorn Sarah Larsen, serving up drinks in Vegas to a group of insensitive and rowdy frat guys as they watched ESPN, none of them  having a clue that the Globes were on (to her relief), and Sarah was probably left wondering why SHE was just arm candy to George and nothing more. With some careful research, it appears Sarah now runs a medical spa in NYC. Hopefully on the day of the Globes, she was not barraged by well preserved socialites extoling the virtues of Amal’s flawless skin, elegant opera gloves, and “can you do my eyebrows like George Clooney’s gorgeous wife?"

Celine Baltraine can’t be bothered with this drivel, she lives in France, and she grew up with a prime minister whose mistress and son showed up at his funeral.. c’est la vie.

Finally, the only woman who could formerly call herself Mrs. Clooney, ex wife Talia Balsam, seriously could care less while she and Mad Men hottie john Slattery analyze and review the Globes as professionals in their line of work undoubtedly do. Clooney is a side note to them.

 -Michael Keaton’s heart felt speech that included his abiding love for his son. Very sweet and touching but impossible to fully take in or appreciate as he is forever seared in our minds as the crazy neighbor in Pacific Heights.

And to think he dumped Courtney Cox, who is now happily engaged to 38 year old  rocker Johnny McDaid ..

(so nice to see Melanie Griffith pre-plastic surgery gone wild)

-Jeremy Renner’s forward and lascivious comments to Jlo. He is a new dad, brand new divorcee and and its his first night out in many months, so we will let it slide.

--Zosia Mamet, actress from Girls appeared at the Globes with grey/silver hair. 

It’s now impossible to do something on the red carpet that is new, shocking, original, or that has never been done before. A young woman with grey hair? Wow, that is new and original. But wait a minute there, what is this 20 something doing in MY territory? The “proud to be grey and natural” demographic, such as models one would see in a  J Jill, Coldwater Creek, or Travelsmith catalog, is not amused. This quintessential greying goddess cohort,  is not to be mimicked by some young whippersnapper without the battle scars, without the journey under her belt, nor the wisdom.. Maybe she is blatantly trying to appeal to advertisers in an attempt to get an endorsement deal with Jill Sander...much like Kate Hudson had with Ann Taylor.. or 90’s supermodel Helena Christensen has with NYDJ (Not Your Daughter’s Jeans re-branded as NYDJ( much like acronym KFC)). We shall see where this stylistic adventure lands her.

- Finally....Billy Bob Thornton, a Golden Globes winner, he left the vial of blood at home this time!

Founts of self knowledge

Anita Ekberg, the Swedish star of the 1960 black and white film La Dolce Vita,has died. The magical and iconic fountain scene comes to mind immediately in thinking of this actress's life on film. One cannot help but wonder, was it with this movie that the genesis of "the fountain scene" began? Let's take a look.

Several films and television shows have revisited this familiar landscape. Characters set against the backdrop of a man made, modern feat of engineering, and phenomenon called a fountain... causes one to contemplate whether or not this life force of water is the REAL star, and whether or not the actors set against it are merely the backdrop?

Consider the pivotal fountain scene in the gripping and dramatic film "Atonement":

More intensely, Dennis the Menace and Mr. Wilson are seen playing out their personal demons and dilemmas.. in ... none other than...a fountain.

Here, the boys of The OC are struggling to find existential meaning, and also seeking to accept and understand their true selves:

The complex and angst ridden kids of Gossip Girl...

 A familiar cadre of companions:

Carrie looking outside herself (instead of within) for meaning and for Mr. Right Now (at a fountain):

And the ultimate, most profound, and final tribute, the Lizzy McGuire movie. Where? But of course...set against the Trevi Fountain itself..

Looking at the meaning of the word Trevi...this fountain's name supposedly derives from the word Trivium, and who else can that be about than the goddess Trivia?

This is a story that seems to get no attention in the press. Richard Marx, 

who shockingly divorced his wife of 25 years, Cynthia Rhodes, is now dating MTV VJ/spokesperson/model/designer Daisy Fuentes. 

Cynthia Rhodes is best known for her work in Dirty Dancing and Staying Alive.

 Richard Marx had a string of hits in the 80s and I am not ashamed to admit I just went on a Richard Marx video binge. I highly recommend it.

The Grammy award winning singer/songwriter/producer, who was discovered by Lionel Richie, is known to be quite curmudgeonly and irascible when even a hint of ridicule comes up in an interview. Hopefully he will never read this. He does seem to be happy with the affable Fuentes, however.

This singer/songwriter/actress model duo are sort of like a middle aged/beyond the expiration date/budget John Legend and Chrissy Teigen.

He is admirable for raising his 3 sons Brandon, Lucas and Jesse, in suburban Chicago rather than Hollywood and giving them a more normal and down to earth life. We never hear about their shenanigans at Coachella or some Hollywood nightclub. I am going to bet on the fact that he probably attended PTA meetings at his boys’school over the years…(likely a school much like the one in Breakfast Club or some other  John Hughes film). He probably worked at the school carnival extravaganza, silent auctions, and various fundraisers, and probably chauffered his boys around in a minivan just like any other dad. Probably the kids in his sons’ classes didn’t really even know who he was, just another well off and kind of dorky dad who just doesn’t understand kids today! in the neighborhood.

Likely Marx is supportive of Daisy’s busy designing career with Kohl’s mega chain department stores. Perhaps he will come up with his own lifestyle brand once he makes the right deal with Kohls! Pool tables? Bomber jackets? Hair products? The possibilities are endless.

As we can see, Marx likes his women like he likes his fondue… traditionally (beautiful), hot, and incredibly cheesy.

post disallusionment

Finding out there was no Santa Claus was hard enough, now this! Much worse to contemplate than the Captain and Tenille divorce is this terrible news.
I have been struggling with the unbelievable story that Nicholas Sparks and his wife Cathy are separating. Finding a new normal is all I can ask for.
Once deemed "the most romantic man in America" this best selling romance scribe is divorcing his wife of 25 years and now I find it impossible to believe in anything anymore!

Spark's soon to be ex wife Cathy was apparently the inspiration behind many of his tough but sensitive, scrappy but effortlessly beautiful, and lively heroines.. such as Allie in The Notebook.
What could have possibly gone wrong to drive these two apart? Should I just go jump off a rustic pier on the Carolina coast, bathed in golden afternoon sunlight and slightly humid air... while birds call in the background...

There are many scenarios but of course we will never really know...
Maybe they had a big fight over the insanely terrible casting in the last Spark's film adaption: The Best of Me.
The casting for the younger version of James Mardsen was so bad that I wondered who owed who a favor in Hollywood,  or what casting director is really struggling...These two are not believable as the same person in time lapse. If you don't believe me, watch the trailer! I can't even watch this movie as a guilty pleasure (and I love to watch these Nicholas Sparks movies - Dear John, The Last Song, A Walk to Remember, it goes on and on) but The Best of Me? All I can say is UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
Maybe Nicholas and Cathy went to see Boyhood and she just couldn't stop talking about the innovative and groudbreaking real-time aging of all the characters and how brilliant that Richard Linklater is! Now there's a real writer! Why can't you do that Nicholas?

Maybe they split  over fights about The Notebook. Perhaps his wife got upset with what is perhaps the worst portrayal of dementia or a memory care facility in the history of film? The Notebook's portrayal of a dementia care facility was pure fiction and Sparks did not do his research. Why did all the same nurses work all the shifts, round the clock, day, night, all the time? Why did they let James Garner (Noa) live there? Oh well, even if it caused their breakup, I STILL Love The Notebook!!! See above for my favorite scene.
We can find solace in the following quotes:

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” — Dr. Seuss
“The heart was made to be broken.” — Oscar Wilde
“It happens to everyone as they grow up. You find out who you are and what you want, and then you realize that people you’ve known forever don’t see things the way you do. So you keep the wonderful memories, but find yourself moving on.” — Nicholas Sparks!!!

Enough with the phones in movies!! I mean characters using iphones in movies and TV.

Call me old fashioned, or the secret child of Andy Rooney, but directors/screenwriters must stop giving screen time to.... screens!!! I am noticing in films set in modern times, the blatant close ups of  iphones... and the exchange of texting between characters...with sound effects..

Is this supposed to be the same thing as a banter or a dialogue?
Imagine a dialogue driven film such as My Dinner with Andre or Same Time, Next Year, as a series of texts or emails.. This gimicky way of portraying communication between 2 people will age poorly. Just look at the evidence:

Gordon Gekko on his ultra modern cell phone doing business on the beach... audiences find this ridiculous now, when the scene is not supposed to be funny!

Email exchange between Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks' characters in You've got mail.
It just seems kinda funny now!

I enjoyed The Fault in our Stars, however, I was distracted by the constant texting communication between the two main characters. Okay, so, I know this is how these kids today like to communicate, and I am of course much more like the parents in the film, or even crabby old Willem Dafoe...... rather than being like the alluring lead characters....but I don't think the close ups of iphone screens will stand the test of time.

 just 2 more:

and of course the exception:

Robert James Ritchie (Kid Rock) is in the news again... running his mouth about various social and political topics and bragging about being loaded (lots of $$ and having lots of guns too!) and who would have thought that he and Gwyneth Paltrow would have so much in common? they both immediately need to hire damage control specialists to help them just keep their thoughts to themselves. They should be paid alot of money!!!
I had forgotten that Bob (Kid Rock) was married to Pamela Anderson at one time, and that his music was used as Mitt Romney's campaign song for president. Seems a bit odd that a clean cut Mormon politician would use Kid's music but stranger things have happened! Bob likely embraced this "honor" and surely was not going to react like Bobby McFerrin when George Bush tried to use "Don't worry, be happy" on his campaign trail.
More importantly, and hopefully Kid Rock will put a lid on it!

I read the news that Donna Douglas has passed away (Ellie Mae from the Beverly Hillbillies). I was unaware of whether or not she was still alive, but in her passing, I appreciate how TBH truly entertained me. I admit, as an unimaginative and impressionable young girl, I thought Ellie Mae  was so beautiful.. like in an Ann Margaret, Betty Grable, Jane Mansfield, Dolly Parton, and Hee Haw extra ...all rolled into one.... Her hairstyle was intriguing: platinum curls piled up high.. on top like a cloud.... sort of like Martha Washington or Marie Antoinette, but then.. with two unexpected little pigtails on the sides..this effect probably took hours in the studio lot's hair and makeup trailer... and seemed very unlike a more realistic hillbilly aesthetic .. such as in.. let's say.. Deliverance... .
But about Ellie Mae,  sometimes I wanted to be her, I'll  admit to that.
Now, as a wiser adult, looking back, with hopefully a more thoughtful perspective, I much more relate to and appreciate the more interesting characters of Ms. Hathaway and Granny. I envy Granny's freedom to be herself. Granny's endless energy, her unwillingness to please everyone, her tendency to become justifiably angry without hesitation, and her obvious lack of vanity, make her an impressive character.. And of course there are Ms. Hathaway's unapologetic eccentricities, her awkward forwardness, and unsurprising love of birdwatching... who could not admire these characters?  Too bad that I came to this realization too late. The 3 female lead characters of TBH do live on- by presenting to us never ending fodder and material for post feminist thought. This is way better than any Texas tea or black gold!

Like all great events in history, I remember where I was and what I was doing when I heard the news... I got a call from my cousin DP who said, are you sitting down? you will never believe who just got married! I was shocked and excited to hear about the surprise wedding of Lyle Lovett and Julia Roberts in 1993. I had no idea this was going to happen nor did the general public. Gone are these olden days of such surprises. Nowadays, nothing can happen without relentless surveillance and analysis. A celebrity cannot have dinner with another celeb without much speculation, rumors, etc. I actually miss the days of there being some mystery and surprises.

here are a few reminders of these long gone days:

Cindy and Richard

John Bon Jovi and Diane Lane

Brad Pitt and Robin Givens

Demi and Emilio

Ryan Gossling and Britney (not really a couple).

Justin and Britney

Benjamin Bratt and Julia Roberts

art and the year

If you are looking for an original new wall calendar, for those of you, like me, who still like to organize one's life and thus continue to write on a wall calendar, here is an assortment of some fanciful options:

Like Vermeer and Rembrandt before him, master of light, Thomas Kincaide has posthumously, somehow, released a 2015 calendar.

Meanwhile, uber entertainers and ambassadors of conservation..Sigfried and Roy also have come out with this one..

I didn't realize this was a new popular thing but underwater puppies 2015 calendar also makes my list.

No words introduction needed:

There is no 2015 calendar for this, but I thought it would be wonderful.